


Day 7: The Hero's Journey Begins...

by Sparky_Lurkdragon



Category: AI Dungeon 2 (Video Game), The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Attempted M/F Romance, Crack, Gen, Good Ganondorf (Legend of Zelda), Imprisonment, Neural Net Assisted, Nonspecific Link, Out of Character, POV Second Person, Temporary Character Death, Vaati (Mentioned), attempted execution
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:56:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26248303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sparky_Lurkdragon/pseuds/Sparky_Lurkdragon
Summary: > tell her you're very confusedAgitha sighs. "Well, you seem very confused. Let me try to explain things to you."***Another neural net-assistedZeldaadventure that begins with me getting sick of the AI Dungeon Master's Link-murdering shenanigans and gets weirder from there.
Kudos: 3





	Day 7: The Hero's Journey Begins...

**Author's Note:**

> For the uninitiated: _AI Dungeon 2_ is a text adventure game that is written on the fly by a neural net, in reaction to the player's inputs. You can get more information about it at its website: https://aidungeon.io/
> 
> It was my quest a while back to get the AI to declare I'd won while playing as Link. Mostly I've been dying horribly. I got sick of the AI Dungeon Master's shenanigans and revived Link with a fairy this time, and things spiralled delightfully out of control from there. 
> 
> All of my input is bolded and italicized. As a further brief rundown of how commands work in _AI Dungeon 2_ :  
> * Anything with a ">" in front of it is my input. A blank line with a ">" means I didn't enter any commands, therefore asking the AI to continue generating.  
> * Anything with a "!" in front of it is a request that the AI not put "you" in front of its response to my input. This is generally used to feed it environmental information or cues for NPCs.  
> * Everything else is generated by the AI. The AI does not actually know what words mean, it's just predicting what it thinks should come after my inputs based on its training data.  
> * This story was created with the "Fantasy - Knight" scenario, one of the pre-made prompts. All I provided for the initial line was Link's name.  
> * There are a few minor punctuation and formatting tweaks for readability.  
> * This run was sometime in January of 2020 and reflects that build of _AI Dungeon 2_.

You are _**Link**_ , a knight living in the kingdom of Larion. You have a steel longsword and a wooden shield. You are on a quest to defeat the evil dragon of Larion. You've heard he lives up at the north of the kingdom. You set on the path to defeat him and walk into a dark forest. As you enter the forest you see a large black dragon flying around above the trees. He looks like an angry demon with scales covering his body and wings that extend from his back.

"What is your name?" The dragon asks. "I am called Link."

_**> "I am... also Link."** _

Link nods. "Yes, I am also Link."

The dragon growls. "Very well then, you are also me."

Suddenly a beam of light shoots out of the dragon's mouth and hits Link right in the chest. He falls to the ground dead.

_**> ! A fairy revives you** _

A fairy appears before you. She smiles and says, "Oh Link! It has been so long since we met!"

She takes off her hat and puts it on your head. "This is a very special day for us both," she says.

_**> take a dazed look around** _

You turn around and stare at the fairy. "Who are you?"

"My name is Agitha," she replies. "We were friends once."

"Why did you do this to me? Why would you bring me here if it was just to kill me?"

_**> ** _

Agitha smiles. "It wasn't just to kill you, but to save the world as well. We need each other now more than ever."

You nod. "So what happened? Did you bring me here or something else?"

_**> ** _

Agitha shakes her head. "No, you're the one who brought me here."

_**> tell her you're very confused** _

Agitha sighs. "Well, you seem very confused. Let me try to explain things to you."

You shake your head again. "I don't understand anything. What does this have to do with anything?"

_**> ** _

Agitha laughs. "Don't worry about all that, Link. I'm going to explain everything to you anyway. But first, let me show you something..."

_**> ** _

She pulls out a small stone tablet and begins to read from it. Suddenly, she stops and stares at you. "Are you ready?" she asks.

_**> "Am I ready for what?"** _

"Of course you're not ready for what. This is a very important moment for our people."

"Is this why you brought me here?"

Agitha shrugs. "Maybe. Maybe not. Who knows? What matters is that we must move forward together."

_**> tell her you think you're ready** _

Agitha nods. "Yes, you are ready."

"How can I be sure?" you ask. "The only thing I know is that I've got to find Princess Zelda."

Agitha looks at you and then turns back to the tablet.

_**> ** _

She starts to speak slowly. "This tablet contains the history of our race. It tells us how we came into being, where we came from, and how we became what we are today."

Suddenly, she pauses. "Now... Now I am telling you too much!"

_**> "But you barely got started!"** _

Agitha frowns. "Please, Link. Just listen to me." She leans over the table and kisses you on the lips. "Let's get down to business."

"Okay," you reply, still unsure of what Agitha wants from you.

_**> "What business is that?"** _

"It's just as well, because I want to know more about you."

"Why would I do that?"

Agitha smiles. "Because if you don't, I'll never be able to trust you."

_**> try to take the tablet from Agitha and run away** _

Agitha grabs your arm and yanks you back. "No! Don't go running off like that!"

"Fine," you reply, annoyed by her sudden aggression. "Just give me one minute to think about this."

**> ! The tablet gives you the following information:**

**> **

Name: Link  
Age: 14  
Gender: Male  
Race: Human  
Class: Knight (formerly)  
Location of Birth: Hyrule Castle Town  
Occupation(s): Soldier  
Affiliation(s): Royal Army of Hyrule Kingdom, Zora Tribe, Rito Tribe  
Family Members Alive or Dead?

_**> show Agitha the tablet and ask why it just has information about you** _

Agitha stares at the tablet. "That's all? That's all you need to know?"

"Well, yes and no." You look around the room. "I mean, there are a few things I'm curious about myself..."

_**> "Didn't you say the tablet had information about the fairies?"** _

Agitha shakes her head. "No, I didn't. But that doesn't matter now. What matters is you've been given something very important for the first time."

"What's that?"

"Your destiny."

_**> thank Agitha for saving you and leave the next morning** _

You walk out of the castle with Agitha, who looks sad when you tell her that you're leaving. "Thank you," she says quietly. "For everything."

As soon as you exit the door, a large group of soldiers appears behind you.

_**> show your empty hands to the Lairon soldiers** _

The soldiers stare at your hands. They seem surprised. "Who are you?" they ask.

"A friend of Agitha's," you answer, trying not to make eye contact with them. "She said I could come here and stay the night."

_**> tell them you need to report to the King of Lairon** _

You turn around and begin walking quickly towards the main gate. "Yes, sir," you say to the soldiers.

Suddenly, you feel a sharp pain in your left shoulder blade. It hurts so much that you can barely move it.

_**> fall to your knees** _

You kneel down on the ground and put your hand against your wound. Your fingers curl into claws and you tear through flesh until you reach the bone. With a roar, you rip out the bone, which snaps like an overripe melon.

_**> ** _

Blood spurts from your wound and you collapse onto the ground. A soldier approaches you. He holds his sword ready but instead he grabs your arm and pulls you up off the ground.

"Don't worry, lad," he says, "we'll take care of this."

_**> plead for help from the soldiers** _

"Please!" you cry. "They...they hurt me! Please, please don't let them kill me!"

He turns away from you and walks past you. The soldiers stand by silently while one of their number begins tying a rope around your leg.

_**> try to struggle** _

You attempt to pull yourself free of the ropes but they are strong. You scream as blood pours out of your wound and runs down your leg.

"Stop struggling!" one of the soldiers orders. "We'll get you back home soon enough."

_**> obey him and stop struggling** _

You submit to the will of the soldier and close your eyes. When you open them again, you find yourself tied to a tree stump. You look up at the sky and see that it has already begun to rain.

_**> try to escape the rope tying you to the tree stump** _

You grab the end of the rope and pull yourself free. You run back to where Agitha was standing. She smiles at you and hugs you tightly before running back inside the castle.

"I'm sorry about that," she says, "but we had no choice."

_**> tell her you don't understand** _

"No, I don't understand what happened," you say. "What did you do wrong? What did they want?"

Agitha looks at you sadly. "It wasn't my fault..." she says softly.

_**> ** _

"But why didn't you fight back?"

She shakes her head. "I couldn't."

The next day, the soldiers drag you back to the castle and tie another rope around your waist.

**> **

They throw you into the dungeon. There, they leave you alone for several days while they prepare to execute you.

One night, however, Agitha comes to visit you in your cell. She sits beside you on the stone floor and puts her arms around your shoulders.

**> **

Her face is red with tears and her voice quivers.

"I'm so sorry," she whispers. "If I could change anything, I would've fought back when they grabbed you."

_**> tell her it's okay** _

"It's fine," you reply. "I know now."

A few hours later, you hear a knock on the door. It opens and two soldiers enter. They take you outside and tie another rope around your waist.

_**> ** _

"Come with me," one of them says. "There's something important we need to discuss."

You follow the man and several other men who are all dressed in black armor. The group walks through the forest until they reach an old stone tower.

_**> ask what's in the tower** _

"We're going to meet the king!" he exclaims. "He needs our help! We'll be able to get there faster by flying."

_**> tell them you thought they were going to execute you for failing to kill the dragon** _

"That's not true!" the man protests. "We're just here to deliver this message from him."

"Well, then why aren't you wearing any armor?" you demand.

The man sighs and turns away his face.

_**> allow yourself to be led to the tower** _

You walk along the path leading up to the tower. Suddenly, you feel a sharp pain in your side. A soldier grabs your arm and yanks you down onto a stone slab. Then, another soldier grabs your legs and throws you over the edge of the tower.

_**> try to grab a window sill on the way down** _

You manage to grab at the nearest window sill. The soldier who threw you falls off the tower and lands hard on the ground below. He screams as he hits his head against a rock. Another soldier steps forward and aims his crossbow at your neck before throwing you out of sight.

_**> ** _

You fall hundreds of feet, plummeting into the darkness below. Your body aches and burns as you struggle to breathe. You look up at the sky and see nothing but stars. The world seems endless, without end.

_**> ** _

You open your eyes and find yourself lying on the cold stone floor of a large room. There is no light in this place; only the dim glow of torches scattered about. Several figures stand nearby, some holding spears and others wielding swords.

_**> whimper in abject confusion** _

One of the figures approaches you. He has dark skin and wears a black cloak. His name is Gannon and he is one of the four generals that rule over the land of Rask.

"What happened? Who are you?" he asks.

_**> "I... I am Master Link, of Hyrule. Who are you?"** _

Gannon looks around and nods. "It's been said that the hero of legend is always found somewhere among us, so it would seem that we've come across him or her."

_**> ask Gannon for his name** _

"My name is Gannon," he says. "And you are?"

"Link."

Gannon stares at you for several moments. Finally, he speaks again. "Very well, Link, I shall call you by your proper title until such time as we meet again."

_**> "Wait - Gannon, like the Evil King Ganon?!"** _

"Yes, I suppose you could say that," Gannon says. "However, I believe that calling you by your real name will be more appropriate."

You stare at him blankly. "Why do you keep referring to me as 'you'? It's not my name!"

_**> ** _

"Perhaps it isn't your true name, but it is your nickname. In any case, I think you'll find that it fits you better than anything else I can come up with."

He smiles at you. 

_**> ** _

"Well then, let's get started. We're going to go through this together."

_**> "Go through what?!"** _

"We're going to become heroes! Heroes who save the world from evil!"

"But how?"

"By defeating the Dark World Demon Lord, Vaati. That's what we need to do."

  
The next few days pass quickly.

_**> ! Link's current stats are:** _

Strength: 1  
Dexterity: 3  
Vitality: 2  
Intelligence: 0  
Wisdom: 5  
Luck: 4

  
Day 7 - The Hero's Journey Begins...

_**> ! Gannon's current stats are:** _

Strength: 6  
Dexterity: 8  
Vitality: 9  
Intelligence: 3  
Wisdom: 11  
Luck: 10

  
Day 14 - The Hero's Journey Ends... (Or Does It?)

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe I'll pick it up with a custom scenario in the future, but for now I'm content to leave the adventure here. I think the AI was getting close to Gibberish Mode by this point.


End file.
